Recommendations For Cats

Diet | Exercise | Social Interactions | Emotional & Body Support

Dental Care | Natural Flea & Tick Control | Preventive Diagnostics

Diet

Fresh food diets are anti-inflammatory for most patients. “Fresh food” means a home cooked diet using the following recipe or pre-made whole food, diet with appropriate amounts of fermentable carbohydrates for your pet’s condition and adequate fiber such as the listed brands below. These diets digest at a healthy rate, maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and a normal intestinal flora (biome). They are low in chemicals that must be cleared and rich in bioavailable nutrients. It is essential that you follow a recipe that has been balanced to provide adequate nutrition to avoid nutritional deficiencies. Recipes must be followed exactly. If your pet will not eat the food as recommended, call our office for acceptable exchanges.

Freeze-dried foods are generally modestly anti-inflammatory, but nowhere near as much as a real food diet.

Kibble and canned food diets often increase inflammation. This is due to the fact that they are absorbed too quickly, causing a spike in blood sugar and resultant insulin resistance. Inflammation in animals often happens first in the digestive tract, where it can weaken the seal of the intestinal lining, allowing the immune cells on the other side of the gut wall to be in contact with ingesta. These cells are normally not exposed to intestinal contents. They start to react against substances within the ingesta (anything eaten or inhaled), but then increase immune reactivity and inflammation throughout the body, not only in the digestive tract, but also the skin and respiratory tract. Additionally, compounds such as glyphosate (Round-up), other pesticides, starchy foods and chemical additives can increase this reactivity. Many canned foods are cooked in the can, allowing for possible chemical contamination from can liners.

The following is our recommended Home Cooked Diet Recipe for Cats. Gradually transition to the new diet over 1-2 weeks. Start by adding ¼ of new food into ¾ of old food. If this is well tolerated after 3-4 days feed ½ new food and ½ old food, after another 3-4 days of doing well feed ¾ new food and ¼ old food. After another 3-4 days of things going well, you can switch to all new food.

If your cat is avoiding the new food, you can put small bits of the new food in a bowl beside their normal food bowl for a week (or once they show interest in the new food and eat some) and try again.

All food should be cooked unless your cat is already eating a raw food diet.

Exercise

Your cat should exercise three times a day for at least 15 min duration per day for healthy young individuals. For older animals the duration should be as long as the patient can exercise without any signs of increased stiffness/soreness – generally 5-20mins. If your cat isn’t exercising on their own this much, encourage exercise through play.

Allow your pet to determine how long they exercise unless otherwise directed by your veterinarian.

Social Interactions

Provide the opportunity for your cat friend to have regular social interactions with humans, cats, and any other type of animal they will be spending time with throughout their life.

If your friend is showing any signs of anxiety during social interactions, discuss this with their doctor.

Emotional and Body Support

Spend lots of time with your animal friend when you are grounded, calm and present in the here and now. If you would like exercises and visualizations you can do to help foster this ability, schedule a private session.

Learn basic massage, acupressure, and spinal range of motion exercises that you can do daily to alleviate any tension and promote better health. You can join one of our group classes or schedule a private class.

Support your pet being able to express their own unique nature.

Create clear boundaries for your animal friend around what behaviors are acceptable or not. Help alleviate the stress that living in a human world can cause for animals. Contact our office if you need assistance in fostering this type of relationship.

Maintain a regular routine with your animal friend.

Dental Care

Bacteria feed on leftover food particles and create plaque on the teeth. This plaque hardens onto the teeth and is called “calculus” or “tartar” – you can see these areas as yellowish or brown staining. When this occurs, there is also bacteria up under the gumline that can start to cause irritation, discomfort and infections. Brushing your cat’s teeth once a day using a toothbrush and toothpaste made for cats that has enzymes to help greatly reduce plaque build-up. Daily brushing will also mean your cat needs far fewer deep-cleanings and dental x-rays under anesthesia.

Here is a very nice step-by-step video to make that process simple - yes, really :)

We also recommend starting Perio-support and/or Perio-plus feline bites, which will help reduce unhealthy bacteria in their mouth, reduce ability of plaque to stick to their teeth, and help remove existing plaque.

It is important to know that thorough deep cleaning of all teeth surfaces and dental x-rays require anesthesia. Anesthesia-free cleanings are often not helpful and can be harmful if they make the teeth look better without cleaning thoroughly under the gumline (where all the disease and infections start.) This can give you a false sense of what is truly going on in your cat’s mouth. Some people do attempt to do as thorough of a job as possible without anesthesia. Although these types of cleanings can be somewhat helpful, your cat will still need a deep cleaning and x-rays under anesthesia from time to time. When this is required is determined by your veterinarian. Make sure they are aware of all dental care that has been provided to your pet so they can make an accurate assessment.

Natural Flea and Tick Control

If your pet needs protection from fleas and you would like to utilize chemical-free options.

Flea & Tick Defense Spray repels fleas and ticks
TheraNeem Pet Shampoo repels fleas and ticks, reduces itching, has antibacterial and antifungal effects
B Complex VET chews (give as directed on bottle). Helps your pet not smell as good to fleas, reduces allergic reactions and stress response associated with itching
Rescue Remedy Pet (if fleas are present) to help calm your pet, reduce the stress and frustration from itching
Fleabusters powder – use as directed in the home to kill fleas and prevent infestations
Beneficial nematodes (available seasonally at garden centers) – spray outdoors in yards/areas where your pet frequents. These are worm larvae that eat flea eggs and flea larvae. They are highly effective for reducing the number of fleas in areas with soil.

Preventive Diagnostics

The following are the general diagnostics we recommend for all animals.

Fur Mineral and Heavy Metal Analysis (FMHM) – Annually or as indicated by your veterinarian based on previous testing
Chemistry panel, SDMA, Complete Blood Count, Heartworm – Annually
Thyroid panel – Annually Age 10 and over
Fecal parasite screen - Annually
Urinalysis – Annually
FELV/FIV screening – once before introduced to the home, then anytime the patient is ill. Outdoor cats may want to be screened periodically. FELV is spread through saliva (sharing food bowls). FIV is spread through bite wounds or sexual activity.

If we have not already established your pet’s vaccination protocol, please schedule an appointment for creating your cat’s custom vaccination plan based on their health, lifestyle and risk factors for contagious diseases.